Former Orange Coast hoops star takes over as assistant

The defending state champion Orange Coast College women’s basketball

team will feature a few familiar faces on its coaching staff when

play begins later this year.

Gregg Savage, who spent three seasons as an assistant under head

coach Mike Thornton, took a job as a full-time assistant coach for

Cal State Bakersfield’s women’s basketball program, leaving a vacancy

filled by Jamie Croy, formerly Jamie Shine.

Croy played for Thornton from 1994-96, gaining all-state honors as

a forward in her final year. She then started for two years at St.

Mary’s College before a professional stint in Finland. Croy served as

an OCC assistant for three years prior to last season, when she got a

teaching job at El Modena High, her alma mater.

“She gets along extremely well with her peers and relates very

well with the players she coaches,” Thornton said. “Jamie will work

primarily with our post players and assist me with both the offense

and defense. We are lucky to have her.”

Joining Croy on the coaching staff will be Leigh Marshall, a

5-foot-4 guard who tallied 22 assists and 13 rebounds in 21 games

last season. Marshall will join the staff as a graduate assistant.

Rhondi Naff, a 6-0 guard who averaged 18.5 points as a senior for

Costa Mesa High last season, has committed to OCC, Thornton added.

Vanguard tennis nets pair

* TENNIS: Rachael Sessum, an Orange Coast College product, and Amy

Brown, from Redding, are the newest additions to the Vanguard

University women’s tennis team, Vanguard Coach Mattias Johansson said

Johansson hopes the recruits improve his women’s tennis team that

reached the second round of the NAIA National Tournament last season

and returns the majority of its players from that squad.

Sessum, a Newport Beach resident, graduated from Calvary Chapel

High School in 2002 and joins the Lions from the community college

courts at OCC. She competed one season for OCC, compiling a 7-3

record in singles and a 10-0 mark in doubles action. Sessum plans to

continue her degree work in biology at Vanguard and will have three

years of eligibility remaining.

Brown comes to Vanguard from Redding, where she competed for

Foothill High. She was an all-league selection for Foothill and

completed a successful prep career in singles and doubles. Off the

court, Brown graduated with a 3.94 grade point average for Shasta

Secondary Home School in 2003. She will major in exercise sports

science at Vanguard.

BBC duo wins Cal Cup

* VOLLEYBALL: Jeff Carlson of Newport Beach and Scott Liljestrom

of Irvine, members of the Balboa Bay Club Volleyball Club, won the

boys under-14 Manhattan Beach Junior Open Cal Cup junior championship

recently. They were undefeated, winning 10 games on their way to the

title.

Newport to San Diego race set

* SAILING: An intriguing mix of competition and parties will be on

stage at the 15th annual Newport to San Diego Coast Race Aug. 2-3.

The challenging race with parties happening at the start and the

finish is sponsored by the Bahia Corinthian and San Diego yacht

clubs. Both clubs are offering free docking for up to one week before

and after the race, allowing sailors the opportunity to combine

summer cruising with a couple of celebrations and a first-class boat

race.

The entry fee is $60 and will be accepted until Aug. 1.

Yachts with a valid PHRF of Southern California Rating Certificate

whose owners are regular members of yacht clubs affiliated with SCYA

or USSA will be accepted.

The course is a point-to-point race starting off in Newport Harbor

and finishing at San Diego Harbor. Trophies for the classes and

perpetual trophies will be awarded.

Entry and notice of race forms are available on the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club website, www.bcyc.org, via fax or drop by the

club at 1601 Bayside Dr., Corona del Mar. For more information or

docking inquiries call Susie Brodrick at (949) 644-9530.